tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353422672018-12-04T00:59:06.898+00:00Words and CommentsAn occasional journal of thoughts and opinions on matters of interest and concernOscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125WordsAndCommentshttps://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-63184922471060322752011-09-27T20:22:00.000+01:002016-02-14T18:41:57.975+00:00Ireland: Presidential Election 2011 - a state of the nation address
The controversy that has arisen from the nomination of Martin McGuinness, as the Sinn Féin candidate in the forthcoming presidential election, contains historical parallels that a student of Irish history will instantly recognise - almost like deja-vu in fact.
The opening shots (if that is not too loaded a phrase) were fired by Fine Gael's Alan Shatter, who is also the current Minister for <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/FbZ5NUbRWFM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2011/09/ireland-presidential-election-2011.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-61965249394768583402011-05-10T18:25:00.004+01:002016-02-14T18:53:34.208+00:00The Visit of a British Queen to Ireland
The forthcoming visit of Queen Elizabeth II of England (first of Scotland) to Éire-Ireland has raised some eyebrows, stirred a certain amount of controversy, but has mostly elicited a air of studied indifference combined with an appropriate measure of bemusement. That this should be the case is hardly surprising. In fact it is only to be expected given the historical background to the visit.
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/lJdCC_Kkm28" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2011/05/vist-of-british-queen-to-ireland.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-66101477465780190482011-03-27T12:33:00.041+01:002011-03-27T18:48:39.593+01:00The Political Fallout Arising from the Moriarty TribunalArising out of the publication of the findings of The Moriarty Tribunal, there has been renewed calls for a ban on corporate donations. It's a subject that has been discussed previously on this blog - (The Funding of Political Parties). In my view the central issue remain the same - precisely what is such a ban supposed to achieve? As things stand, it all has the appearance of a solution in <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/rzY0yy6bbFU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com1http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2011/03/political-fallout-arising-from-moriarty.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-27191809452083667402011-02-16T14:05:00.015+00:002011-03-09T00:32:13.411+00:00Election 2011: Has the Indo Flipped? Again?In the run-up to the 2007 General Election a private meeting took place between Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen (the then sitting Taoiseach and his successor) on behalf of Fianna Fáil on the one hand, and Tony O'Reilly, owner of Independent Newspapers on the other. The meeting took place at O'Reilly's home in Fitzwilliam Square in Dublin.
According to Matt Cooper in his book Who Really Runs Ireland<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/uGNutLRqLYA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2011/02/election-2011-has-indo-flipped-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-68889203201874658852010-11-14T20:11:00.007+00:002010-11-14T20:19:03.462+00:00Live from Twitter - #IamSpartacus and #twitterjoketrial
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/MiDjk_FTCo4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2010/11/live-from-twitter-iamspartacus-and_14.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-86090282502793482552010-10-02T16:38:00.009+01:002010-10-02T22:17:23.023+01:00To Serve and Protect: The Case of the Dáil 'Gatecrasher'"Iceland is a country with a banking system attached. In contrast, Ireland is a banking system with a country attached to it"So says David McWilliams in a piece he penned a while back, contrasting the response of the Icelandic government with that of their Irish counterparts; in terms of their response to the impact of the meltdown of the global financial system on both countries.
When presented<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/zM2DLhYzP30" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com1http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2010/10/to-serve-and-protect-case-of-dail.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-8640498367900692062010-09-19T15:49:00.011+01:002011-06-25T13:57:16.139+01:00Morning Ireland, Morning AfterAn Taoiseach, Brian Cowen described aspersions cast about his condition and state of mind (somewhere between drunk and hungover) during his Morning Ireland interview of 14th September as 'a new low in Irish politics'. It may be low but it's not entirely new. It is though revealing about the relationship between the media and political establishments, how and why 'news' gets reported.
Few would <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/CxV-VOhoh9k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2010/09/morning-after-taoiseach.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-59800004749249881542010-07-21T23:47:00.006+01:002011-06-25T13:56:53.237+01:00The Funding of Political PartiesAddressing the McGill Summer School in Co. Donegal, former Taoiseach Dr Garret Fitzgerald called for an urgent end to the funding of political parties by big business. Or so it was reported by certain sections of the media. I have not seen the text of his speech. His precise words are not reported by any of the media outlets that picked up on it (Irish Examiner, Newstalk). Other accounts would <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/CEDBjHbxbik" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2010/07/funding-of-political-parties.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-40858180133998044282010-02-12T19:21:00.027+00:002016-02-14T18:56:16.611+00:00George Lee: What Next?
It has been said that all political careers end in failure but some political careers last longer than that of George Lee. His decision to resign his Dáil seat and quit politics - a mere nine months after his landslide election on a wave of popular revulsion with the present government - was clearly unexpected. Then again, so too was his decision to throw his hat into the political arena in May <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/KuyReasET7Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2010/02/george-lee-and-democratic-deficit.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-31894299797067330492009-09-09T21:26:00.006+01:002011-06-25T13:55:17.525+01:00NAMA and the Demise of the Political ClassNewspaper reports suggest that embattled Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan came out fighting in the past week, strongly defending his proposed National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) legislation and criticising opposition party, Fine Gael's alternative proposals.
In comments attributed to him he suggested that Fine Gael's policy on NAMA could have "catastrophic consequences for both the banks and<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/WPFq-LGGXS0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2009/09/nama-and-demise-of-political-class.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-89793146882540833762008-09-02T20:40:00.030+01:002011-06-25T13:53:12.385+01:00Free Education and the Debate about Third Level FeesIt seems to me that if the debate re-ignited by Batt O'Keeffe on the question of third-level fees is going to get any further than the attempt of his predecessor, Noel Dempsey, then the issue probably needs to be explored in a wider context. The case for a wealth tax as a solution to the country's current economic ills has already been put in the columns of The Sunday Business Post by Vincent <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/65rCNbkAiZA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2008/09/great-education-debate-third-level-fees.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-39791727104444037202007-09-16T11:14:00.008+01:002011-06-25T13:50:49.084+01:00The Conquest of IrelandThe more I think about it the more I believe that the latest proposal from Minister for Integration, Conor Lenihan (that of introducing an English-language requirement in the granting of work or residency permits and citizenship applications) is ill-considered.
I just don't feel that a policy of 'let's be mean to immigrants' works in an Irish context.
The only reason why Ireland is an <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/0J3oNgsiZxE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/09/conquest-of-ireland.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-11488209717106420212007-09-16T11:09:00.006+01:002010-03-27T15:47:56.123+00:00On Religion in SchoolsNiall Gormley has thrown his hat into the ring on the current debate about school management in Ireland - Hands Off Church Schools, Northside People, 12th September 2007. In doing so he invokes fiery, McCarthyite rhetoric, suggesting that's it's all a plot on the part of unidentified liberals to ostracise the Catholic Church and take away control of 'their' schools from them.
As a matter of fact<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/s9qgqHoD27I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/09/great-religious-debate.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-59279016035813220542007-09-16T10:54:00.003+01:002011-06-25T13:49:42.521+01:00A Question of LanguageMinister for Integration, Conor Lenihan wants to see proficiency in the English language become a prerequisite for residency, the issuing of work permits and ultimately Irish citizenship for people entering the country.
He has even mooted the provision of English language courses as a means of assistance.
I wonder if the minister would himself consider enrolling on one of these courses if and <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/3Ow9HQoV1RE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/09/mind-your-language.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-55159201160126392482007-06-30T00:17:00.006+01:002011-06-25T13:48:44.097+01:00On Tony Blair: Apres the Downing Street YearsHow gratifying it is to see that on leaving Downing Street Tony Blair will step into a new role of peace envoy to the Middle East.
Is this to herald a new era of politicians finishing what they started and undertaking to clean up their own mess after them?
Does anyone know what George W.'s retirement plans are?
27th June, 2007
Versions of this post were also published as 'Letters to the <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/SnQPVMz5HKs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/06/reflections-upon-tony-blairs-downing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-15839953886457216672007-06-21T00:30:00.004+01:002011-06-25T13:47:38.690+01:00Defining a Role for the Perplexed RichI have been following with interest the debate sparked off in the pages of the Irish Independent newspaper by Kevin Myers' exposé of the apparent hypocrisy of Bono lecturing to governments about their overseas aid commitments, while his band chooses tax exile in the Netherlands. (Abject hacks catch the Bono gibbers by Kevin Myers. See also Myers right about Bono's hypocrisy, or for a different <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/tLc3LhmoEm8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/06/assigning-role-for-perplexed-rich.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-32069122452524794382007-02-18T01:47:00.004+00:002011-06-25T13:46:38.336+01:00Towards a United IrelandResponse to an article by Niall Gormley (Let's Make the Unionists an Offer) published in The Northside People (7 February, 2007).
Niall Gormley is drawing incorrect conclusions, albeit from certain correct premises in his piece of 7th February ('Let’s Make the Unionists an Offer'). He talks about promising that ‘a functioning Northern Ireland would never be dismantled’ in order to re-assure <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/bUKbs3oNORM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/02/towards-united-ireland.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1170031242151412082007-01-29T00:38:00.004+00:002016-04-04T22:08:31.231+01:00On the Likelihood of a Breakthrough in the Northern Ireland Peace Process
Efforts to broker agreement among political parties in the North are stumbling inexorably towards collapse and all things considered, this need not necessarily be the worst possible outcome.
In truth any agreement that is hammered out would only serve, at the present time, to paper over cracks. Most likely it would amount to a re-run of the previous occasion when the Assembly and Executive was <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/GTi3o9pHgaI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2007/01/current-phase-of-northern-ireland.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159744061630357402006-10-02T00:04:00.004+01:002011-06-25T13:45:59.633+01:00Power Sharing and the Good Friday AgreementThe northern political parties have been given until November to resolve their differences in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. It would appear that the prospects for success are being deliberately down-played so as not to raise public hopes too high and thereby place inordinate pressure on the talks participants.
The DUP are making the issue of republican criminality a sticking <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/t03_wDXU0gE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/power-sharing-and-good-friday.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159743726008731572006-10-01T23:58:00.004+01:002011-06-25T13:45:10.369+01:00Danish Cartoon ControversyIn the midst of all the commentary and coverage of the Danish Cartoon Controversy a certain theme has, not unexpectedly, raised its head. I refer of course to the 'Clash of Civilisations' debate which is being offered up in some quarters as an explanation for the anger that has erupted.
According to this theory the Arab/Muslim world is in the grip of religious fervour and hence finds itself at <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/epL2zyU5iJo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/danish-cartoon-controversy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159743488054010952006-10-01T23:56:00.004+01:002011-06-25T13:44:21.552+01:00Iran, Israel, Palestine and the Nuclear Weapons IssueThis was written in response to an article by Niall Ferguson (entitled ‘The Origins of the Great War of 2007 ... And How it Could have Been Prevented’) published in the Irish Independent's Weekend Review section of 21st January 2006 and in The Sunday Telegraph of 15th January 2006.
There is one very obvious reason why Iran is unlikely to use its (as yet non-existent) nuclear capability to <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/CdE-XV-Hsl4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com1http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/iran-israel-palestine-and-nuclear.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159742974318070102006-10-01T23:47:00.004+01:002016-02-14T19:00:53.001+00:00Letter to Morning Ireland: On the Question of Religion in Ireland and the former Soviet Union.
Correspondence (or lack of) with RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland programme
This is the complete text of a letter sent to the RTÉ Radio 1 programme Morning Ireland in response to comments broadcast alleging that communism banned religion in the former USSR.
Dear Morning Ireland,
I refer to comments broadcast on your programme of Friday, 6th January. Your reporter Emer Lowe (hope I’ve spelt <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/9fkOqYfwrwE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/letter-to-morning-ireland-on-question.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159742815145787102006-10-01T23:45:00.004+01:002011-06-25T13:39:05.226+01:00Remembering the past. The Easter Rising and World War OneThe anniversary of WWI Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, has once again been observed in Ireland with yet more ruminations and hand-wringing on how we should observe the event and commemorate those who died in the First World War or as some would call it, 'The Great War'.
Of course no reasonable person could object to remembering the dead - what would be the point? Really the debate is about <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/2qBlOpNgFfY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/remembering-past-easter-rising-and.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159742509295677842006-10-01T23:39:00.004+01:002016-02-14T18:57:26.773+00:00Disarmament and the Good Friday Agreement. On recent announcements by the IRA, verified by the De Chastelain Commission on September 26, 2005
In all of the reporting, commentary and analysis I've encountered so far on the recent IRA announcement a lot of the focus has been on the (apparently) luke-warm, less-than-ecstatic response from unionist politicians and the DUP in particular. It is surprising therefore that as yet no-one seems to have drawn the obvious conclusion. One wonders even, if this could be deliberate?
What has been <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/QRgN311q7bs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/disarmament-and-good-friday-agreement.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35342267.post-1159742297715427472006-10-01T23:36:00.005+01:002011-06-25T13:36:35.273+01:00The State We Are In. Éire is ainm don Stát. Meditations on politics, partition and football.This post started out as a response to an article by Niall Gormley in The Northside People, 7 September 2005 entitled Ireland? Never Heard of It.
Being a frequent reader of Niall Gormley’s column in The Northside People I find his views on diverse matters interesting and his column in general to be quite readable.
However, I must take issue with his contention in his column of 7/9/05 where he <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/WordsAndComments/~4/rXtVolVtK5I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Oscar Dugganhttps://plus.google.com/110170606698082455404noreply@blogger.com0http://www.wordsandcomments.com/2006/10/state-we-are-in-ire-is-ainm-don-stt.html